Wednesday's rush hour saw plenty of congestion and that resulted in higher drive times than normal for a typical summer morning.
The most spectacular crash was on westbound 94 near the St. Croix Rest Area where three cars collided in the left lane. With one lane blocked, traffic stacked up to the Carmichael Road exit in Hudson, Wis. and remained thick well after the wreck cleared. At present, big delays are still in place.
Ahead, the congestion into downtown St. Paul made the ride 20 to 25 minutes from Woodbury to 35E.
Perhaps it was the sun, or not, but whatever the reason many eastbound routes sputtered between 7:15 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. Noticeable slow downs persisted on Hwy. 212 from Hwy. 101 to Shady Oak Road and eastbound 394 ran 3 to 5 minutes slower than normal.
Usually a pleasant drive, southbound Hwy. 252 had its issues today. A crash just after 6 a.m. at 66th Avenue and a later wreck at 85th Avenue kept traffic bogged down from Hwy. 610 to 694.
Northbound Hwy. 100 inched along late in the rush from 494 to 394, a 20-minute ride for commuters through Edina, St. Louis Park and Golden Valley.
The action began early for eastbound 94 drivers. A wreck on the Crow River bridge caused traffic to come to a halt as far west as County Road 19 in Albertville.
Current incidents include a car fire and crash on eastbound Hwy. 10 at County Road J and a vehicle beached in the median on I-694 at Hwy. 36 in Pine Springs. And look for a crash on southbound Hwy. 252 at 85th Avenue.
